A New Frontier
by TheRealMcLovin
Summary: Noctis expected to die. His friends expected to be left to rebuild the world. Instead, their expectations are shattered when they are stranded on an alien planet, far from their own. With no one but each other to rely on, as well as a few new friends, they will be forced to fight a certain egomaniac if they wish to go home. Rated M because it's Borderlands.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Borderlands or Final Fantasy XV. Thry are the property of Gearbox Entertainment and Square Enix respectively. Please support the official release.**

Prompto groaned as he regained consciousness.

 _'Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?'_ Prompto thought. He winced in pain as he forced his aching body into a sitting position.

Prompto analyzed his surroundings. He was confined to a small cell that was so cramped, it would make a certain wizard grimace with sympathy.

Prompto gagged at the pervasive odor of the mold that creeped along the walls of his cell.

 _'What am I doing in a cell?'_ Prompto wondered. He rose from his seat on the sheet-covered, stone slab that vaguely resembled a bed.

Prompto's knees started to shake from a mixture of hunger, pain, and exhaustion.

"Ardyn doesn't really strike me as the type to keep prisoners," Prompto muttered to himself.

The blond tiredly stumbled over to his cell door. Prompto grasped the rust-ridden bars with his hands and pressed his face against the cold metal, as if he believed he would be able to fit through the gaps between the bars.

Despite the hallway being dimly lit, Prompto was able to make out a security camera swiveling from side-to-side and doing a continuous sweep of the detention area.

"Iggy? Gladio? Noct? Aranea? Are any of you guys there? Can you hear me?" Prompto shouted.

Prompto waited a few moments for a response before his head drooped in disappointment.

No answer.

"We're here!" yelled a deep voice.

"Quit yelling, my head is killing me!" a distinctly feminine voice groaned.

"We're _all_ here!" a voice called with a familiar accent.

"Man am I glad to hear your voices!" Prompto cheered. He found himself unable to refrain from shaking, this time with happiness. His friends were okay! Granted they were all still in jail, but nonetheless, his friends, his family were still alive.

Prompto was so entranced by his feelings of joy, it took a few moments for him to register the emphasis of Ignis' words.

"What's with the emphasis on ' _all of us'_ being here?"

"That's...a bit difficult to explain," Ignis said.

The universe seemed to take mercy on Ignis, as a tired groan sounded a couple of cell's down from Prompto.

"It looks like you won't have to. It seems that Sleeping Beauty is waking up," Gladio remarked. Prompto didn't need to see Gladio to know he had his massive arms crossed with a smug look on his face.

"Where am I?"

Prompto's heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound of a voice he had been certain he would never hear again.

"Noct? Is that you?" Prompto's voice trembled as he desperately hoped that his ears weren't deceiving him.

"Prompto? Ignis? Aranea? Gladio? How are you here? Did you guys die too?" Noctis asked.

"Hardly!" Gladio scoffed. "If I were dead, I wouldn't be sent to a dump like this."

"It certainly leaves a lot to be desired," Aranea commented.

"Maybe the gods don't take kindly to people who weasel their way out of doing the dishes," Ignis said.

Prompto put a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter at Ignis' jibe.

"What are you laughing about, blondie? At least I remember to brush my teeth before bed."

Prompto's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

"Hey! Sometimes I get distracted by other things on my mind!" Prompto weakly defended.

"As much as I'd love to listen to you two bicker like an old married couple, we have more pressing issues to worry about," Noctis pointed out. "To start with: where are we?"

"That's the million gil question, now isn't it?" Ignis said.

"Whoever's holding us prisoner, really needs to hire a cleaning lady. This place is a dump, even by prison standards," Prompto said.

"This place ain't Galdin Quay, that's for sure," Gladio muttered.

"You think the Nifs are holding us?" Noctis asked.

"I wouldn't bet on it. The Empire loved to show off their wealth. They wouldn't have such a ratty jail. Besides, the Empire fell shortly after Ardyn took over." Ignis answered.

"I consider it an accomplishment that its taken this long for me to end up in a jail cell," Aranea admitted.

Prompto attempted to get a clearer picture of their surroundings and peered through the bars. "I don't think this is even really a jail. Except for a couple other cells, this place is empty," Prompto noted.

"If not Niflheim, then who?" Noctis wondered.

Any chance for further discussion, was promptly ripped away by the sound of a heavy, metal door grinding open, permitting several sets of footsteps to enter the detention area.

Prompto gulped. "I think we're about to find out."

They waited in tense anticipation, as the footsteps swiftly drew closer.

Prompto wasn't sure what he had been expecting their captors to look like. But he certainly wasn't expecting a redhead covered in tattoos pull him from his cell, his coat's collar firmly grasped in her hand.

"Easy!" Prompto said.

The redhead gazed upon Prompto with contempt.

"I'm sorry, was that too rough? I have this nasty habit of manhandling spies. I should probably work on that," she mocked.

Prompto squirmed in her grip. "Spies? What are you talking about?"

The redhead sneered. "Now, now. You'll have plenty of time to play dumb when we interrogate you."

 _'Today is just not our day,'_ Prompto thought to himself.

Prompto chanced a glance at his friends whom were currently surrounded by multiple men and women in crimson uniforms with their guns trained on them.

A dark-skinned man wearing ragged clothes stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back while he directed his gaze at Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio.

"I'm so glad to see you four are finally conscious. We thought we would do you the courtesy of waiting until you were all awake to interrogate you."

"How thoughtful of you," Ignis drawled, his cold expression made all the more menacing by the splotchy, pink scar over his left eye and the surrounding eye socket.

"Who are you? On what grounds are you holding us prisoner?" Noctis scowled.

Their dark-skinned jailer looked at him with amusement. "I see that playing dumb is a game that you are all insistent on playing. You'll be changing your tune soon enough." He looked towards the men and women in the crimson uniforms. "Escort the prisoners to interrogation," he ordered.

His subordinates quickly complied and put the barrels of their guns to the five prisoners backs. With a far from gentle prod to their lower backs they were urged forward.

Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, Aranea, and Prompto were marched down the corridor in a tense silence.

They were soon led to a steel door that was so thick, it could just as easily function as the door to a bank vault.

The door was pulled open with a grating screech, cold steel leaving visible marks on the hard concrete.

The four prisoners were roughly shoved inside with enough force that they were almost sent toppling over.

The redhead and her dark-skinned friend followed close behind.

"Leave us," the dark-skinned man ordered.

The guards obeyed and quickly walked off. Once they were gone, he pulled the door shut behind him.

"Alright, you five, have a seat," he said as he gestured to the stainless steel table with five chairs on one side of the table.

The group of five, begrudgingly seated themselves.

Their captor followed suit and seated himself on the opposite side of the table. He leaned forward and rested his fists on the table.

"Alright, let's start with why you appeared in the middle of Sanctuary in a burst of white light."

"What the hell is Sanctuary?" Noctis asked.

The redhead moved from her spot against the wall and stepped toward the table.

"Not this crap again! Just let me have a go at them Roland. I'll have them talking in no time," she said as her eyes started to glow with an orange light reminiscent of magma.

Roland made an expression like he was considering the redhead's proposition; something to which Prompto was not oblivious.

The party stayed silent in a uniform expression of defiance.

Lilith sauntered closer to the table, her hands wreathed in an orange glow that matched her eyes. "I think I'll start with the blond one," she smirked. As if to further drive her point across, Lilith placed her hands on the table, the solid steel reduced to molten slag by her touch.

Noctis hesitated, a look of uncertainty on his face. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. When his eyes opened, his expression had shifted to one of resignation. "What do you want to know?"

Roland smiled at his cooperation.

"You can start by telling us your names."

Prompto looked to Noctis. "Are you sure about this, Noct?" He asked.

"We don't really have much of a choice." Noctis shifted his gaze away from Prompto and stared Roland right in the eyes.

"My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum."

"Prompto Argentum."

"Ignis Scientia."

"Gladiolus Amicitia."

"Aranea Highwind."

"What? You four aren't going to give your middle names too?" Roland joked.

"It would seem so," Ignis said.

"Now, let's move onto why you're here."

Prompto scratched his head. "Uh, sure no problem. Quick question, where exactly is here?"

Roland furrowed his brow. "Like I said, you're in Sanctuary, the last remaining safe have from Handsome Jack."

Prompto bust out laughing at Roland's words. "What kind of tool calls himself Handsome Jack," Prompto giggled.

"His name may be ridiculous, but he is a serious danger to this entire planet," Roland said.

"Hold up," Gladio said. "If he's so dangerous, then how come we've never heard of him? Was he with Niflheim or something?"

"I've never heard of him," Aranea said.

Roland shared a look with Lilith as if having a silent conversation. Roland gave a silent nod before he leaned forward on the table and redirected his attention to his prisoners.

"Let me ask you something. What's the name of this planet?"

They looked at Roland with a medley of shock and confusion.

"What kind of question is that? We're on Earth. Where else would we be?" Prompto said.

"Hate to break it to you, but you're on the planet of Pandora. I've never even heard of this Earth place."

Ignis regarded Lilith with no small amount of skepticism. "You expect us to believe we're on a different planet?"

"I've seen a lot of strange things in my life, but I draw the line at the notion of being swept away to some alien planet. I don't believe you," Noctis scoffed.

"I gotta agree with Noct. It all sounds so farfetched," Prompto nodded.

Roland stroked his chin in thought. "I take it your planet hasn't discovered space travel yet," Roland said.

Lilith added her two cents. "Or they could be lying and trying to play us for fools."

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar," Gladio growled.

Ignis pushed up his glasses. "While I wouldn't put it in such a hostile manner, I would have to agree with Gladio. We're not lying."

"Do you always go overly paranoid and call people liars, or are we just special?" Prompto asked.

"Don't test me, blondie!" Lilith growled.

"Stand down, Lilith!" Roland barked. He then turned his attention to Prompto. "I would thank you to not rile her up. She's prone to incinerating people who get on her nerves, and that's on her good days."

"My bad," Prompto apologized.

Roland waved off the apology. "Now, let's backtrack a little bit. Walk us through the events that led to your appearance in Sanctuary.

"I think our story is going to blow yours out of the water."

Noctis proceeded to spend the next forty-five minutes recounting their adventures, with some input from his friends. In a way, it was a learning experience for Noctis as well. The young king found himself treated to a detailed retelling of what had taken place in the ten years he was gone.

When the tale was concluded, Roland and Lilith remained silent, unreadable expressions on their faces.

"You're either really good at bullshitting at a moment's notice…" Lilith started.

"Or you're telling the truth," Roland finished. "One thing doesn't make sense to me. How did you even get to Pandora?"

"If you figure it out, let us know, because we sure as hell have no clue," Noctis said.

"Maybe you are telling the truth, regardless, we can't allow you to remain in Sanctuary without supervision." Roland gives Lilith a meaningful look that she quickly caught onto.

"Oh no, you are not sticking me with babysitting duty!" Lilith protested.

"Mordecai and Brick are both indisposed. That leaves you as the only person I can trust with this task," Roland insisted.

Lilith growled in irritation. "Fine, but you owe me one!"

Lilith turns and addresses the five off-worlders. "Alright, you four are now under my supervision." Lilith's nose abruptly crinkles in disgust. "But first, you five need a shower. You smell like death."

Prompto sniffed his shirt and quickly cringed. "She's not wrong."

"Lucky for you, we have shower rooms here at HQ."

Gladio's brow furrowed in confusion. "HQ for what?"

Lilith smacked her forehead with her palm. "That's right, we almost forgot. Welcome to the headquarters of the Crimson Raiders." The redhead quickly proceeded to escort them from the interrogation room. She took special care to remain upwind of them.

After a much needed shower, Lilith led them out of the headquarters and into the streets of Sanctuary.

The five Lucians were surprised by the sight before them. Sanctuary was a dead wringer for the stories Noctis and his Crowns guard had heard of the slums of Insomnia. Being fairly privileged individuals, they had never witnessed the slums firsthand.

"Where are you taking us?" Prompto asked as he marveled at the surrounding city, mesmerized by Sanctuary's stark contrast to the likes of Lucis.

He pretended not to notice the townspeople's blatant staring at their alien appearances.

"Don't these people have anything better to do than stare at us?" Gladio muttered.

"Not really. The only other options are getting drunk and shooting each other,"

"How charming," Ignis commented.

"I take it someone as prim and proper as yourself has a better lifestyle."

"Had," Ignis corrected. "Even then, we showed respect to our fellow man. We didn't look for an excuse to fill each other with bullets."

"I guess you just burn each other's faces then?" Lilith taunted.

Ignis brushed off the comment like it was dust on the lapel of his coat. "Just a bad sunburn. I don't tan very well," he drawled.

Lilith let out a bark of laughter at Ignis' sass. "I think you and I just might get along after all."

"I hate to interrupt your flirting, but where exactly are you taking us?" Noctis asked.

Lilith sighed. "After the day I've had, I need a drink. Just this once I'll pay for drinks for you too. After that, you'll have to get your own cash. There are plenty of bounties to collect out in the wasteland."

"Did you happen to find any weapons with us?" Noctis asked. With the Ring of the Lucii destroyed, so was the royal family's connection to the crystal along with it. Not that it mattered, seeing as the crystal was completely drained of power. The young king was uncomfortably reminded of his time in Tenebrae. Only this time, he didn't even have the Ring's power at his disposal. He was powerless.

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Bahamut and the past kings of Lucis had made it clear that they would only store their power in his ring for the sake of defeating Ardyn.

With him gone, it stood to reason that they would take their power back.

"They're locked up tight in the armory. Once we're sure we can trust you and are able to scrounge together a few SDU's, they will be returned to you. I gotta say, we were surprised when we found a bag filled to the brim with cold steel. Even stranger was that there was only a couple of guns in the entire arsenal."

Noctis released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. At least their equipment wasn't permanently out of their reach.

"I guess you could say some of us are a bit old fashioned," Gladio said.

"I don't suppose you found a camera or some pictures with the weapons by any chance, did you?" Prompto asked as he silently prayed to the gods that they had survived their abrupt journey.

"As a matter of fact, we did."

Prompto sighed in relief. "Well, that's a load off my mind," Prompto said.

"Well, this is the place," Lilith announced as they approached a large building that was in fairer condition than any of the buildings they had seen so far. Hanging on the wall, in large neon letters, was the word "Moxxxi." Next to the pink neon letters was a matching decal of a woman's leg bending in an almost erotic fashion.

"What's a Moxxxi?" Prompto asked as he stared at the glowing neon.

"You'll see," Lilith smirked.

Prompto and his friends entered the bar, Lilith hot on their heels to prevent any attempts to run off.

The interior of the bar was not what they had expected. The establishment was cleaner than they would have thought, only the sparse patches of dirt detracting from its cleanliness.

The grizzled patrons looked up from their drinks and stared at the newcomers, specifically a certain group of off-worlders.

Just as their unwelcome stares started t o grate on them, the patrons reverted their attention to their drinks, their interest diminished.

Lilith led them over to the bar and seated herself on a stool, an action they quietly copied. The bartender was currently occupied at the other end of the bar as she catered to another customer.

 _'Forget about alcohol, I just want to play some games. They gotta have a pinball machine or something,'_ Prompto thought to himself. He had never possessed much interest in alcohol, preferring more constructive ways to entertain himself.

It was then, Prompto caught a glimpse of a two large machines in the corner of the bar.

A glimmer of hope blossomed in his chest, but was quickly snuffed out when he noticed they were slot machines. Somehow he doubted they accepted gil.

Prompto was brought out of his thoughts with a start as a bottle of beer was placed before him.

He looked up and was struck speechless. The first thought that popped through his head when he saw the woman smiling at him, was that she looked like a sexed up, gender-bent version of the Mad Hatter. His second thought, of course, was that she was extremely beautiful.

"Why the long face, sugar?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Oh, uh, just thinking how I didn't expect my day to start with me waking up on another planet," Prompto half-lied. Such thoughts had been running through his mind, but he'd rather not let on that his air of disappointment was caused by a lack of entertainment options.

"Wait a second, now I recognize you. You're one of the guys that flashed into the center of town. You certainly don't see that every day," she remarked as she stuck out her hand. "Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Pandora. I'm Moxxi."

Prompto gingerly took her hand in his own and gave it a gentle shake. "I'm Prompto. These are my friends Noctis, Ignis, Aranea, and Gladio," Prompto said as he pointed to each of them in turn.

Prompto's friends politely gave their own greetings in return. As Moxxi examined the four strangers, she took notice of Lilith's presence.

"You know, most girls only get one guy on the rebound, not four," Moxxi taunted with a sly smirk.

"Can it Moxxi!" Lilith growled. "I'm just babysitting these five until we can be sure they aren't spies."

Moxxi gingerly took hold of Prompto's chin. "How could someone this cute possibly be a spy?" Moxxi purred, causing Prompto's face to turn a shade of red that would make an apple jealous.

Noctis, Aranea, Ignis, and Gladio laughed at Prompto's flustered expression.

"Cut it out, guys! It's not that funny!" Prompto whined.

"Alright, guys. Let's cut him a break," Noctis said.

"Thank y-" Prompto was cut off by Noctis' next words.

"We shouldn't make fun of Prompto for having a moment with the missus." Noctis' teasing launched them into a new round of laughter, this time joined by Lilith. Moxxi laughed softly behind her hand, not wanting to embarrass Prompto further.

"You guys suck!" Prompto pouted.

"Maybe if you didn't make it so easy," Aranea smirked.

"Now, what brings you five to Pandora?" Moxxi asked.

"We'll let you know when we figure it out," Noctis sighed.

"Stranded, huh? That's tough," Moxxi commented as she cleaned an empty beer mug with practiced ease.

"We've dealt with worse," Prompto confessed.

"Tell you what, first round's on the house," Moxxi offered, earning a grateful smile from the blond photographer.

"It's boom time!" a maniacal voice shouted from the corner. The newcomers looked to the source of the shout just in time to see a bar patron dashing outside. In his haste to escape, he had accidentally made contact with an airborne metal object, causing it to land behind the bar, not three feet from Moxxi.

Noctis and his Crowns Guard had been in enough battles with Imperial soldiers to recognize the object.

"Grenade!" Prompto shouted. Barely taking a moment to think, Prompto grabbed Moxxi by the arm and pulled her over the counter and onto the floor, taking care to shield her body with his own.

His timing couldn't have been more perfect as the grenade detonated the moment he had shielded Moxxi.

Prompto hissed in pain, his back and arms grazed by the shrapnel from the bar.

"Is everyone okay?" Prompto yelled louder than he meant to, the close proximity of the blast temporarily affecting his hearing.

"We're okay!" Noctis yelled, similarly affected by the explosion.

The group of Lucians tensely waited for their hearing to fully return. They didn't have to wait long as they quickly regained the majority of their hearing.

"What the hell was that?" Prompto asked.

Moxxi dusted herself off and stood from her crouching position. "That happens every now and then. If you line the slots up in just the right way, you sometimes get a grenade launched at you," she explained. "Though this is the first time one has ever made it behind the bar," Moxxi finished with a murmur.

"Why on earth would you have something like that?" Gladio asked.

"I forgot that you lot are new to Pandora. This is the way the planet works. There's danger around every corner," Moxxi explained.

"If you're gonna last here, I suggest you commit that to memory," Lilith instructed.

"And I thought the Empire was a bunch of lunatics," Aranea murmured.

"The rules of the game really have changed," Ignis mused.

"That explains why none of the customers are freaking out right now," Prompto muttered. True to his word, the bar patrons were still talking loudly and wildly as they continued to get wasted.

"We're lucky no one was killed; that _you_ weren't killed," Prompto said.

Moxxi looked at Prompto with amusement. "I would've been fine. I have one of the best shields around," Moxxi boasted before she gestured to the round, metallic object attached to the hem of her dress.

"A shield?" Prompto echoed.

Moxxi nodded in confirmation before she gestured towards the shield. "This baby right here surrounds me with an energy field that can absorb bullets, explosions, etc. That grenade would have had about as much effect as a fly biting a horse; annoying, but ultimately pointless."

Prompto looked down. "Well, this is kind of embarrassing," Prompto muttered.

Moxxi grabbed Prompto by the chin and tilted his head up until he was looking her in the eye. "Now, now. No need to be embarrassed. You won't find many people around here that would put themselves at risk to save someone else." Moxxi winked at Prompto. "I guess this makes you my knight in shining armor," she teased.

Prompto looked away in a futile effort to hide his blush. It was then Moxxi noticed the minor wounds Prompto had sustained.

The bartender fished an object out from her pocket that was revealed to be a small red vial with a needle on the end.

"What's that!" Moxxi cried as she pointed behind the group of six. It was only when Prompto had turned to look that she noticed his back had garnered a few scratches as well. With him distracted, Moxxi took the chance to inject the vial's contents into his arm.

"Ow!" Prompto yelled before he rounded on Moxxi. "What did you just do?"

Moxxi lazily pointed at his arms. "See for yourself."

Prompto watched in surprise as his injuries sealed themselves shut and left unblemished skin.

"What did you just inject into him?" Noctis asked.

"An Insta-Health vial. One quick injection heals just about any injury in no time," Moxxi explained.

"I don't suppose you have anything that can fill my stomach while you're at it. I'm starving!" Prompto moaned. As if to emphasize his point, the blond's stomach gave an audible growl that was quickly matched by the bellies of his friends as well as Lilith.

Moxxi laughed. "I've got just the thing."

Moxxi did not disappoint as the group of six were treated to steaming plates of burgers and french fries. But to Prompto and his friends, it may as well have been a gourmet meal at a five-star restaurant. They tore into the food with reckless abandon, all but inhaling their meals.

In no time at all, every plate had been licked clean, the party's bellies now full.

"That was amazing!" Prompto lethargically cheered while he stifled a belch.

"I think I may have died and gone to heaven," Noctis admitted. The others happily moaned in agreement.

Moxxi basked in the praise she received. "What can I say? I know my way around a grill," she boasted.

"That's for sure," Aranea yawned.

"You lot tired? I can't say I blame ya. Sleeping on rocks doesn't really do much to help you recharge," Lilith said.

"Lucky for you, I've got some spare rooms upstairs," Moxxi said before she shot Lilith an expectant look. The redhead rolled her eyes and slammed a wad of cash on the bar.

"This should be enough to cover dinner and rent them a room for the night." Moxxi happily scooped up the cash and stowed it in her pocket.

"A pleasure doing business with you."

"Come on you five, you're not the only ones who are tired," Lilith grumbled as she proceeded to guide the tired travelers upstairs. They happily complied, wanting nothing more than to sleep for the next week on a soft bed. They were eventually led to a room that contained a dresser, two king-size beds, and a pull-out couch.

They bonelessly collapsed onto the furniture and sighed in relief. Lilith quickly punctured their moment of bliss with the sound of her voice. "I suggest you all get some rest now. Tomorrow, I'm putting you five to work," Lilith declared.

Prompto let out a questioning groan in response. Unseen by them, Lilith raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You guys didn't think I was going to keep paying for you, did you? Oh no, if you're going to stay in Sanctuary, you need to earn your own money. I'll show you the ropes tomorrow. After that, you're on your own," Lilith said before she retreated downstairs.

They all fell asleep the moment they closed their eyes.

Well… almost all of them.

Noctis sat pensively on the side of the bed while Aranea watched in concern. "Something eating at you, your Highness?" Aranea asked.

Noctis stayed silent for a few moments before he answered.

"Just thinking,"

"What about?"

Noctis sighed tiredly. "I was prepared to die when we left for the Citadel. I had made my peace. To be here, alive, I'm not sure how to feel about it."

Aranea regarded Noctis with a confused expression. "I would think you'd be happy about it and not look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Is it though? Is it really a gift to be torn away from our world with possibly no way back? The rest of you could have built happy lives, help pick up the pieces of civilization. Now, you've been robbed of that chance."

Aranea huffed. "You failed to mention that we would be left to mourn the death of our friend. No amount of rebuilding could ever wash away the level of failure that we would feel. Be happy to be alive. At least this way, we get to stay together. Besides, I'm sure there's a way back. We just have to look for it."

Noctis felt his lips upturn ever so slightly to form a small, grateful smile. "You really know how to give a good pep talk, huh, Aranea? You're a lot better at it than Gladio, that's for sure," Noctis said as he thought back to Gladio's version of "tough love."

"I suppose I should be honored then," Aranea joked.

"It's not an honor I bestow lightly," Noctis assured, his face schooled into a serious expression. It didn't last long as the dam broke, his expression giving way to hushed laughter accompanied by Aranea's own soft chuckles.

"That's the spirit! Now, I don't know about you, but I need my beauty sleep." Aranea made to lie down but came to a halt at the sound of Noctis' voice.

"I never thanked you, did I?" Noctis asked.

Aranea turned to face him. "I thought it was implied."

Noctis shook his head. "No, I don't mean the pep talk. I want to thank you for looking after everyone while I was gone. You kept everyone together and I can't thank you enough for that."

"You getting mushy on me,now?" Aranea teased. "I admit, it was hard at times, but it was worth it. In the process, I gained a family," she smiled, a gesture Noctis readily returned.

"Good night, Aranea."

"Good night, Noctis."

 **And that brings to an end the first chapter of this story. Sorry to those of you who were expecting an update for A Not So Holy Grail War. Turns out making an entirely original chapter is a bit harder than I anticipated. I've got a good outline going, so hopefully I'll have the chapter up within the next couple of months.**

 **I got the idea for this story after marathoning the Handsome Collection and FFXV at pretty much the same time. In case I haven't already made it clear, Prompto is going to take a pretty big lead in this story. I found him to be an interesting character as I can relate to him on several levels.**

 **Anywho, did you see something you like? Something you didn't? Give me your thoughts on the story by leaving a review!**

 **Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will be ignored.**

 **Until next time! Peace out!**


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